A new villain in Star Wars: The Bad Batch just brought back a line made popular by General Grievous. The line, which pertains to his lightsaber collection, has been the focus of an incredibly popular Star Wars meme, which has been used for various purposes over the years.
Introduced in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, General Grievous is the ruthless and evil leader of the Separatists’ droid army and an iconic villain in his own right. He has made a number of appearances in franchise canon, including Star Wars: The Clone Wars, where he served as one of the main antagonists and one of the biggest foes of the Republic’s forces and the Jedi. However, his most memorable role is still his first, which was when the four-armed, alien warlord battled it out with Obi-Wan Kenobi. In an impressive and unprecedented display in the Star Wars universe, General Grievous wielded four lightsabers into battle against Obi-Wan, but was unable to prevail over the Jedi.
A line in Star Wars: The Bad Batch episode 5 felt like it might have been a homage to the character. When Clone Force 99 was being held prisoner by a group of Zygerrian slavers, their leader – a villain named Raney – approached and said, “look at what we have here. Four new slaves to add to my collection." The remark instantly drew comparisons to Grievous, and the comments he made when his forces subdued Obi-Wan and Anakin. Pleased by acquiring their lightsabers, he said, “your lightsabers will make a fine addition to my collection.”
The line uttered by Raney in The Bad Batch differed slightly from the original in Revenge of the Sith, but it was delivered with the same amount of arrogant satisfaction that Grievous used when he said it to Anakin and Obi-Wan. Given that it carried similar meaning, the resemblance was not lost on many viewers. Not only that, but the disdain in which he called the Bad Batch "skug" carried some strong General Grievous vibes as well, who angrily referred to Anakin and Obi-Wan as "Jedi scum."
It’s certainly a fun connection to be sure, partially because General Grievous is unquestionably one of the best additions that Revenge of the Sith made to Star Wars canon. His line about his lightsaber collection is particularly popular with fans, who have long enjoyed using it as an internet meme. Also, it is likely that the show recycling it via the Zygerrian slaver is a deliberate nod to the General Grievous scene, especially since the Disney+ series has already done this a few times with other classic Star Wars moments, such as Obi-Wan’s “hello there” remark from Revenge of the Sith and a droid line in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. More references like these may drop as Star Wars: The Bad Batch continues.
